Lewis a



L. A. SAFFORD.

APPARATUS FOR BEMOVING PAINT FUMES.`

APPucATlon r|LD|uN6.19u.

y1,316,745. Patenfedsept. 23, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS A. SAFFOBD, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB OF TWO-THIRDS TO BRADLEY VBOOMAN GOMPANY, OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR BEMOVING PAINT FUMES.

l Bpeciilcation of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 23, 191%).

Application iiled June 6, 1917. Serial No. 178,119.

To all 'whoml it may concern: n

Be it known that I, Lewis A. Sarron, citizen of the United States, residui at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and. tate of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Alp aratus for Removing Paint Fumes, of w iich the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to apparatus employed in conjunction with paint spraying nozzles for the purpose of drawing fumes arising from the paint away from the manipulators of the nozzles. Such an apparatus includes means for effecting theforced passage of air in the direction in which the paint is bein sprayed, this .mea-ns being generally inc usive of a suctioii 'fan and piping in which the suction fan is included.

M v invention has for one of its obiects the provision of means for interepting the paint that passes by the object being painted to preventiit from reaching the fan. The invention has for another of its objects the provision of means whereby Water or other liquid having suilicient lack of affinity for the paint as to prevent it from sticking to the fan may be a plied tothe fan. such liquid being also esirably applied to the paint intercepting means also to prevent the paint, from sticking thereto.

I will explain my invention more fully by refe-renee tn the accompanying drawing showing the preferred way of practising the same and in which Y.drawing Figure 1 is a View in longitudinal sectional elevation illustrating apparatus equipped in accordance with my invention: Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of certain of the parts illustrated in Fig. 1 but on a larger scale; Fig. 3 is a view on line 3--3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a view in elevation showing a part of the structure.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the different figures.

It is usual to include in the apparatus to which my invention relates a cabinet 1 whose front end 2 is open to permit the operator to direct the paint spraying nozzle 3 toward any part of the cabinet interior. I have illustrated a bedstead portion 4 within the cabinet 1 which is in the act of being painted by paint forced through the nozzle 3 under pressure, The cabinet is provided with a fume eduction pipe 5 for conveying paint fumes away from the manipulator of the paint nozzle 3, this pipo being open at its rear end for the escape of the fumes. The cabinet 1 virtually constitutes a forward continuation of the rearward pipe 5, 'being open at its front end to permit of the reception of the objects 4 that are to be coated. The ping 5 is desirably enlarged at 51. a suction fan being disposed in the piping enlargement 51 and serving to effect the forced assage of the paint fumes inwardly away rom the front end of the piping 1. 2 where the operator is manipulatinglr the paint nozzle. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated the suction fau 6 is mounted upon an elongated shaft 7 driven by a pulley 8 that is located at a point suitably remote from the cabinet. The pulley 8 is shown as being driven by a belt 9 that in turn is shown as being caused to travel by an electric motor 10. Other motive means may, however. be employed for rotating the fan. The shaft 7 has suitable ybearings 11 mounted by means of spiders 12 within the pipe 5. the bearings being preferably located to define an axis of rotation for the fan that is co-axial with the pi e 5. A baiile plate 13 is located between the ront end of the cabinet 1 and thefan and serves to prevent much of the paint that passes into the pipe 5 from reaching the fan. The battle plate, however, is of such a size or should bc so formed as not to obstruct the vflow of air and paint fumes.

For convenience the baille plate is carried by the shaft 7. If desired. the baille plate may be fastened to the shaft 7 as by means of the set. screw 14 whereby the bafile plate and shaft will turn together. The momentum imparted to the aint flowing in the pipe 5 toward the ba c plate 13 will cause most of this paint to impinge upon the baliie phlte. this paint falling to tbc bottom of the pipe enlargement 5. The outlet 15 is provided through which the paint accumulating in the pipe` enlargement 51 may be withdrawn. Some of the paint, however, will pass with the fumes over the edge of the allie plate toward the fan. ln accordance with my invention I provide means for supplying the fan blades with a film or coating of liquid that is sulliciently lacking in allinity for the paint as to irevent the paint from adhering to the b ades. A suitable liquid is water which is preferably supplied to the blades in the form of a vapor or mist that is mixed with the llowing paint fumes to enable the fan to draw this mist or vapor upon its blades while the fan is drawing the fumes. I do not limit myself, however, to this method of supplying the water or other selected liquid to the fan blades but when this method is employed I make use of an atoinizing device. This atomizin device is desirably located in front of the baille plate so that this baille plate may also receive a coating or film of water or other selected liquid to prevent the paint intercepted thereby from lodging thereupon. The water is desirably furnished to the atomizer through the shaft 7 which is made hollow for the purpose, the water bein supplied throu h a duct 16 that communicates with the interior of the hollow shaft 'i' through the intermediation of the rotating coupling 17. The water, under suitablefressure, is forced to the forward end o the hollow shaft 7 where it finds passage through some suitable form of spraging nozzle 18. This nozzle may be adjiista le to vary the size of the jet issuing from the shaft 7. An atomizing head 19 is mounted upon the nozzle structure 18 in position be struck by the jet of water, this atomizing head serving to subdivide the water into a mist or vapor. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the atomzing head 19 is positioned to reect the water upon the front face of baille plate 13 whereb the front or paint receivin face of the lmle plate is not onl coat with a lilni of water or moisture ut also coperates with the head 19 in further atomizing the water and in thoroughly difusing the yvapor through the flowing paint fumes whereby the fan blades will also receive the film of moisture with which they are to be supplied. The paint which escapes the baille plate 13 and passes to the fan 6 is prevented rom lodging upon the fan blades and other structural pai-ts of the fan duc to the moisture carried to the fan blades and other fan parts with the flowing column of paint fumes, moisture carried to the fan separating from the paint fumes and forming a protective llm upon the fan parts.

While I have herein shown and particularly described the prefened embodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown as changes may readily be made' without departing from the spirit of my invention, but having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to Secure by Letters Patent the following:-

1. Apparatus of the class described including a pipe structure open at its front end; a fan in a rearward portion of the pipe structure; a hollow shaft carrying said fan; means for rotating said shaft; a baille plate within the pipe structure and in front of said fan; an atomizing head positioned to reflect liquid upon said baille plate; and means for assing liquid under pressure through sais hollow shaft which is open adjacent said atomizing head to direct the liquid thereon.

2. Apparatus of the class described including a pipe structure open at its front end; a fan 1n a rearward portion of the pipe structure and serving to draw air inwardly from the open front end of the pipe structure; a baille plate within the ipe structure and in front of said fan; an an atomizing head ositioned to reflect liquid upon the front ce of said baille plate.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my-name this 22nd day of May, A. D., 1917.

LEWIS A. SAFFORD. 

